Connector device for suspending straps



May 19, 1964 J. A. GAYLORD 3,133,329

CONNECTOR DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING STRAPS Filed March 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV EN TOR. JOHN 4. 64 now ATTORNEY May 19, 1964 J. A. GAYLORD CONNECTOR DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING STRAPS Filed March 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 W3 M 2 3 mm r 6 v E 2 W N 7 09 16 m a 3 ,8 A. n N A. H m w m w. 7 9

mg 70' WF IVQQflZI "FIIIIAFIVIIIMI MI United States Patent ice 3,133,329 CONNETGR DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING STRAPS John A. Gayiord, San Rafael, Califl, assignor to H. Koch & Sons, Corte Madera, Calif., 'a corporation of California Filed Mar. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 182,604 6 Claims. (Cl. 24-23(1) This invention relates to a connector between suspended straps.

The primary feature of this invention is to provide a tumbler on a swinging member pivoted in the connector frame and so arranged that the ring on one of the suspending straps bears against the tumbler and in the connecting position the center of the pivot of the tumbler is offset over its center so that the load on the suspension line and ring forces the tumbler to turn toward and against a stationary wall of the connector frame and thereby utilize the tension on the connected straps for positive locking of the connector; means being provided for permitting the manipulation of the swinging member so as to pull the swinging member away from said stationary wall of the connecting body or frame and upon a very slight pull, in the neighborhood of 25 lbs., to move the swinging member sufficiently to shift the tumbler away from said stationary wall past the center line or plane of the strap ring whereupon the pulling force on said strap ring will turn the tumbler in the opposite direction to its initial position and against the swinging member so as to force the swinging member into open position to release the strap ring; thus thousands of pounds of pulling force on the connected straps can be released by about 25 lbs. of opening force exerted upon the swinging member; means being provided to further lock the swinging member to the body or frame of the connector.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several de vices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do, I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the connector constructed in accordance with this invention showing the connecting straps in connected position.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector member with the strap ring of the lower strap released.

FIG. 3 is a sectional front View of the connector showing the engagement of the strap ring with the swinging member and the tumbler element.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plane view of the connector in closed position, the lower strap ring being shown in section on lines 4--4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plane view of the connector showing the swinging member in open or releasing position.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector in connecting position.

3,133,329 Patented May 19, 1964 FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the swinging member of the connector sufficiently pulled outwardly to shift the position of the pivot of the tumbler relatively to the plane of the ring.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the swinging member in fully open position with the strap ring released.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the lock in section, the section being taken on lines 9-9 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a partly broken away side view of the connector in connecting position.

The herein connector includes a connector frame 1 with a loop 2 formed at one end thereof to accommodate one of the suspension straps 3 to be connected by said connector device. The other end of the connector frame 1 is formed as a flat sleeve or hollow member with a fiat cavity 4 generally accommodating a strap ring 5 of the other strap 6 to be connected by said connector device. One wall 7 of the sleeve 4 is solid while the other wall 8 of the sleeve 4 has a large opening 9 to accommodate a swinging manipulating member 11.

Between the loop 2 and the sleeve cavity 4 there isprovided a pocket 13 into which fits the hub 14 of the swinging member 11. A shaft 16 in the solid portion 12 of the frame is extended through the pocket 13 and hub 14 and fulcrums the swinging member 11 for swinging outwardly or into the frame. The pocket 13 is open toward and communicates with the interior of the sleeve 4 and with the opening 9. The hub 14 of the swinging member 11 is forked so as to provide space for a coil spring 17, an end of which bears against the top of the forked hub 14 and another end of which bears against the adjacent edge of the frame so as to bias the swinging member 11 toward the closed position shown in FIG. 6.

The body of the swinging member 11 has a projecting portion 18 which projects inwardly of the sleeve and toward the solid wall 7 of the sleeve 4. In this projecting portion 18 there are a pair of parallel slots 19. In each slot 19 is a tumbler 20 in the form of a disc. The tumblers 20 are pivoted on a pivot shaft 21 secured across the projecting portion 18, as shown in FIG. 3. The tumblers 20 are movable freely about the pivot shaft 21. The swinging member 11 under its hub 14 has a hook 22 for receiving the ring 5 of the strap 6 in the manner shown in FIG. 6. The level or flat top edge 23 of each tumbler 29 projects upwardly slightly into the hook 22 so as to be engaged by the ring 5.

The relative location of the pivots are such that the center line of the tumbler pivot shaft 21, in the closed or looking position of the swinging member 11, is offset inwardly of the sleeve 4, or toward the solid side 7 relatively to the centerline of the pivot shaft 16 of the swinging member 11 and relatively to the center of the hook 22. Consequently, the ring 5 in the hook 22 in the locked position is offset relatively to the center to the tumbler pivot shaft 21 outwardly or away from the solid side 7 and thus engages the top' of the tumblers 20 to the right of the pivots of the tumblers 20 viewing FIG. 6, which tends to turn the tumblers 20 about their pivots toward the solid side 7 and into engagement with a keeper recess 24 in the solid side 7. Thus the force exerted on the strap 6 and the ring 5 would'exert a resultant force about the tumbler pivots 21 for forcing the tumblers 20 and swinging member 11 into the locking position shown in FIG. 6.

When an outward pull is exerted on the swinging member 11 for swinging the said swinging member 11 about its pivot shaft 16 outwardly of the sleeve 4 or away from the solid side 7, then a slight force is sutficient to shift the swinging member 11 to the position shown in FIG. 7, where the pivotal axis of the tumbler shaft 21 is brought outwardly or toward the open side of the sleeve 4 with irespect to the ring and thus the pull on the ring 5 acts to push the tumblers about their pivots so that the lower corner of the vertical edge 26 of each tumbler 20 bears against the adjacent slot bottom or portion of the body of the swinging member 11 so as to exert a resultant force about the pivot shaft 16 toward the outward swinging or opening of the swinging member 11 to the position shown in FIG. 8 wherein the ring 5 is released. This eccentric action permits the releasing of the connection by a minimum turning force on the swinging member 11 irrespective of the much higher pulling forces exerted on the ring 5 and also utilizing the forces on the ring 5 to actually complete the releasing of the connection after the initial slight movement of the swinging member 11.

For exerting the pulling force on the swinging member 11, in the present illustration, a finger bar or handle bar 27 is extended across the outer free end of the swinging member 11. The handle bar 27 is substantially U-shaped so that the legs 28 thereof extend into suitable slots 29 in the adjacent portion of the swinging member 11 and are pivoted on a suitable pivot pin 31 for slight movement. The bar 27 is flat and the lower end of the swinging member 11 is contoured to form a recess 32 under the bar 27 so that a finger or thumb can engage the underside of the bar 27 for the initial pulling of the swinging member 11 toward releasing position.

For further safety, in the present illustration, there is also added a positive lock in the form of a plunger button 33 held in a pocket 34 in the bottom of the body of this swinging member 11. The button 33 is urged by a spring 36 outwardly of the pocket. The button 33 can be pushed into the pocket 34 so as to clear the lip 37 on the lower edge of the opening 9. A tooth or prong edge 38 on the button 33 engages the inner face of the lip 37 and thereby positively locks the swinging member 11 in position. When the button 33 is pushed into the pocket 34 so that its prong 38 clears the lip 37, then by pulling on the handle 27 the swinging member can be pulled into the initial position shown in FIG. 7 for releasing the strap connection.

The prong 38 is tapered at the inner edge of its bottom so as to be pressed inwardly when the swinging element 11 is urged into its closed position, shown in FIG. 9.

The legs 28 of the finger bar 27 extend beyond the pivot shaft 31 through the respective slots 29 so as to be in contact with the adjacent outer surface of the adjacent wall 8 of the sleeve 4. As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the opening 9 has substantially vertical walls and the slots 29 are in wings 41 on the swinging member 11 overlapping the respective solid portions of the front Wall 8 on each side of the opening 9.

In operation the operator places one or two fingers or a thumb against the lower edge of the finger bar 27 and pulls the same upwardly toward the position shown in FIG. 7. As the finger bar 27 turns about its pivot 31 its inner edge bears against the adjacent wall 8 of the sleeve of the frame and thereby pries the swinging member 11 outwardly of the opening to the position shown in FIG. 7, at which point the tension and pull exerted on the ring 5 operates on the tumblers 20 to further push the swinging member 11 to the releasing position, shown in FIG. 2. As the operator inserts his finger or thumb under the finger bar 27, he bears against and pushes the button 33 into its pocket simultaneously with the outward pulling, thereby releasing the projection or prong 38 from the lip 37 to permit the outward swinging of the swinging member 11.

The coil spring 17 returns the swinging element 11 into the locked position shown in FIG. 6 after each operation. In order to insert the ring 5 the swinging member 11 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 7, then the ring is pressed through the open bottom of the sleeve 4 against the tumbler 2t} and the projecting portion of the swinging member 11, so as to push the swinging member 11 sufficiently out of the way to allow the ring 5 to pass over the hook 22 whereupon the swinging member 11 is snapped into the locked position shown in FIG. 6 and the ring 5 is thus held securely.

The pivot 31 extends through an elongated slot 42 in the body of button 33 slidably to retain the button 33 in the socket 34.

It is to be noted that this connector device can be used in various attitudes and positions different from the position shown in the drawings herein.

I claim:

1. A connector device for suspending straps comprising,

a frame,

a loop on the frame connectable to one strap, there being a cavity formed in the frame, conforming to the ring of another strap to be connected,

the wall on one side of the cavity having an opening therein,

a swinging member pivoted in said opening,

a hook formed in said swinging member for engaging said strap ring in said cavity,

a tumbler pivoted in said swinging member below said hook and being engageable by said ring in said hook under load,

the pivot of said tumbler being offset relatively to the pivot of said swinging member and to the center of said hook inwardly of said frame away from the open side of said cavity in the locking position of the swinging member, whereby the pulling forces on the ring under load urge the tumbler about its pivot inwardly and against the wall of said cavity opposite to said opening to hold the swinging member in locking position,

and whereby the swinging of said swinging member outwardly through said opening shifts the pivot axis of said tumbler past the center of the pivot of said swinging member toward said opening and applies the resultant forces of the pull on the ring for the swinging of said swinging member outwardly of said opening for releasing said ring.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, and

a finger piece pivoted on said swinging member, and engageable by a finger of a person to bear against the adjacent side of said frame to pry said swinging member outwardly from said opening so as to shift the pivot axis of said tumblers outwardly with respect to said ring for the releasing of the ring.

3. The invention defined in claim 2, and

a button lock yieldably held in said swinging member adjacent to said finger piece,

a button of said button lock projecting outwardly of said swinging member,

and interlocking elements on said frame and on said button lock to lock said swinging member in connecting position, and said interlocking elements being releasable by pushing said button inwardly of said swinging member and simultaneously exerting a pull on said swinging member outwardly of said opening.

4. The invention defined in claim 1, and

said tumbler including a pair of parallel tumblers on a common pivot spaced from one another, and

said swinging member having slots therein in which said tumblers are movable.

5. The invention defined in claim 1, and

said tumbler including a pair of parallel tumblers on a common pivot spaced from one another, and

said swinging member having slots therein in which said tumblers are movable,

and resilient means to normally bias the swinging member into said opening to locking position.

6. The invention defined in claim 2, and

a button lock yieldably held in said swinging member adjacent to said finger piece,

a button of said button lock projecting outwardly of said swinging member,

and interlocking elements on said frame and on said 5 button lock to lock said swinging member in connecting position, and said interlocking elements being releasable by pushing said button inwardly of said swinging member and simultaneously exerting a pull on said swinging member outwardly of said opening. 10

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Feb. 8, 1940 France ept. 25, 1950 

1. A CONNECTOR DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING STRAPS COMPRISING, A FRAME, A LOOP ON THE FRAME CONNECTABLE TO ONE STRAP, THERE BEING A CAVITY FORMED IN THE FRAME, CONFORMING TO THE RING OF ANOTHER STRAP TO BE CONNECTED, THE WALL ON ONE SIDE OF THE CAVITY HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN, A SWINGING MEMBER PIVOTED IN SAID OPENING, A HOOK FORMED IN SAID SWINGING MEMBER FOR ENGAGING SAID STRAP RING IN SAID CAVITY, A TUMBLER PIVOTED IN SAID SWINGING MEMBER BELOW SAID HOOK AND BEING ENGAGEABLE BY SAID RING IN SAID HOOK UNDER LOAD, THE PIVOT OF SAID TUMBLER BEING OFFSET RELATIVELY TO THE PIVOT OF SAID SWINGING MEMBER AND TO THE CENTER OF SAID HOOK INWARDLY OF SAID FRAME AWAY FROM THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID CAVITY IN THE LOCKING POSITION OF THE SWINGING MEMBER, WHEREBY THE PULLING FORCES ON THE RING UNDER LOAD URGE THE TUMBLER ABOUT ITS PIVOT INWARDLY AND AGAINST THE WALL OF SAID CAVITY OPPOSITE TO SAID OPENING TO HOLD THE SWINGING MEMBER IN LOCKING POSITION, AND WHEREBY THE SWINGING OF SAID SWINGING MEMBER OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENING SHIFTS THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID TUMBLER PAST THE CENTER OF THE PIVOT OF SAID SWINGING MEMBER TOWARD SAID OPENING AND APPLIES THE RESULTANT FORCES OF THE PULL ON THE RING FOR THE SWINGING OF SAID SWINGING MEMBER OUTWARDLY OF SAID OPENING FOR RELEASING SAID RING. 